Resolve to Travel More

While many people started 2012 with resolutions to eat less and exercise more, those who resolved to take more vacations will

a) have a lot more fun and

b) be more likely to keep them (with help from Travelzoo’s Deal Experts, of course!).

When I saw The New York Times’ list of The 45 Places to Go in 2012, I made it my resolution to check at least one of these destinations off my list this year. This probably won’t help my waistline, but it will be infinitely more rewarding than any day at the gym.

Tokyo: Coming in at No. 6 on The Times’ list, Tokyo topped our Top 20 last week. For $1,399 per person, I could spend five nights in Japan’s vibrant capital with 4-star lodging at the Hilton Tokyo and roundtrip airfare on Singapore Airlines.

Florence: I have always wanted to visit this romantic Tuscan city. And if I’m going all the way to Italy, I might as well see Rome and Venice while I’m there for $1,105 including airfare, lodging and transportation between each city.

San Diego: A little closer to home, Travelzoo has multiple deals I could use for a trip to sunny San Diego. A quick search comes up with a 5-star hotel in the bustling Gaslamp Quarter for $155 a night, car rentals starting at $13, and tickets to a show at Copley Symphony Hall for $15.

Costa Rica: Travelzoo has more than a dozen Costa Rica deals to choose from right now, but I like the $699 vacation with roundtrip airfare to San Jose, lodging in the Arenal volcano region and Manuel Antonio, a monkey boat tour and a rental car.

There are deals to be found for many other destinations on the list, including London, Morocco and even Cuba. It seems the hardest part of this resolution will be deciding how -- and where -- to keep it.